Well, things are going great on the Big Blue Canoe. And getting quite hot. As we near the tropics, the winds are dropping away as the temperature rises.

I am feeling good. I do have to admit that I was a bit seasick the first couple days, but the crew was very supportive as I recovered, and I am now totally acclimated. I am really enjoying myself, apart from the difficulty of getting into the watch-system routine and breaking up my sleep cycle. I’m not always “all there” when I wake up…and I have to basically fall out of my top bunk (rather ungracefully as the ship rocks) to get down. It makes for a rocky landing…

I do miss home, but it is not unbearable. I appreciate the messages y’all post on TrueBlue. Plus, some friends from home sent me off to sea with a letter a day to open with words of encouragement…

We are all going to be slowing down as we near the tropics. There are a series of gates set up, and the Clipper office might call the race at any moment if the winds die away and we’re not able to move forward any longer by sail. We keep hearing the other skippers talk to each other and discuss the wind in their part of the world. And then they tell jokes or talk about the fish that they’re not catching. (I think they are rather jealous of our 2 fresh tunas and the delicious meals that came from them.) Speaking of meals, this morning we had the 2am-6am watch, and it was our responsibility to make breakfast. I made blueberry pancakes that were a hit! However, I have to say that they are most definitely the ugliest pancakes I have ever made in my life as the boat was rocking back and forth and made the pancakes into very unnatural shapes. But still delicious.

Other items of note:

1: Deckcercise: as the wind fades and the waves are relatively calm we are able to exercise on deck a bit.

2: Flying fish: they exist. A very strange sight. I thought it was a bird the first time I saw it, but then it disappeared below the surface. What a crazy creation!

3: Flying squid: Okay. They don’t fly, but they are attracted to the lights on-board at night. We had one that was about 5-6 inches long that just leapt onto the deck. It was the strangest thing!